Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Lessons from The Wiggles

While we were on vacation in Virginia, Nicki and I took Ryan to a Wiggles concert in Richmond.

As promised in a previous post, here are a few reflections from that experience.

1. The Wiggles care about excellence. The concert was extremely well done. The choreography was impressive. The lighting and sound were of the highest quality. The energy from all the performers on the stage was through the roof. The whole experience was excellent.

2. The Wiggles understand their audience. I don't know this for sure, but I'm betting that the average age of the kids at the concert was about 4 years old. Three of the four founding members of The Wiggles have degrees in Early Childhood Education. They have a great understanding of who they're trying to reach with their music.

3. The Wiggles have substance. This is the reason that they've been so popular for the last 15 years. Others acts that have been marketed to kids have come and gone, but The Wiggles' stock keeps rising because they actually have something to offer. Their website says it best: "Fashion or fad does not drive the preschool entertainment scene; it is an area of entertainment where integrity and longevity are the treasured hallmarks of success."

4. The Wiggles care about kids. This was what impressed me the most at the concert. I was impressed with their musicianship, the quality of the production, etc. But most of all, I really got the sense that these guys genuinely care about kids. Lots of kids brought signs to the concert. The Wiggles took time to read as many of them as they could out loud. They walked throughout the coliseum seats, even up to the highest rows, waving and smiling to kids. I'll bet that almost every child at that concert felt like one of The Wiggles smiled and waved right at them.

As we drove away after the concert, I was reflecting on what I had just experienced. The church really needs to sit up and take notice because there are lessons to be learned here.

The Wiggles cared enough to put together an excellent experience, even though it was "just for kids." I've heard this in the church before. "Why are we working so hard on this? It's just for the kids." As if somehow our children are second-rate citizens. Our adults deserve our best effort, but we can throw the kids whatever leftover scraps we have lying around. This attitude makes me sick. Kids aren't stupid. Don't think for one minute that they can't tell when we don't care enough to do something well. How does a secular group like The Wiggles understand this, and yet we in the church have missed it for so long? When we don't care enough to offer something quality for our kids, the implication is that we don't care about kids period.

Because The Wiggles understand their audience, they were able to craft an experience geared right to them. The kids stayed engaged for the entire hour because everything was done with them in mind. It was all on their level. The lesson for the church is obvious. Don't just recreate "big church" when you're crafting a children's ministry. Understand who you're trying to reach, and design it accordingly.

The Wiggles offer kids something meaningful. Something worthwhile. Just because we do stuff on a child's level, don't water it down to the point where nothing is taught. Kids can worship. Kids can learn and grow in their relationship with God. Do it on their level, but still be sure that you're offering them something with substance. As The Wiggles have taught us, fads and flash-in-the-pans won't cut it. Give them something meaningful. Give them Jesus.

The Wiggles went overboard to show love to the kids at their concert. More than anything, this is what a child should learn at church. They are loved. They need to know that they are loved by God and that they are loved by the adults who are leading them.

In a very real sense, it seems that groups like The Wiggles are ahead of the church in these areas. I'm not suggesting that we need to compete with them. Most churches won't be able to recreate the lighting, the music, etc. But there are bedrock principles for children's ministry here that every church can grab onto.

Every church can design a quality children's ministry. Every church can craft it on a child's level. Every church can teach the good news of Jesus in the simple language of a child. Every church can love kids.

I like The Wiggles. That may sound weird from a grown man, but as a father of a little boy, I really do enjoy what they offer for Ryan. But as God's church, let's not allow The Wiggles to beat us at our own game!

The Prize or The Paycheck?

One of the things I try to do on my blog is to give ACCers (and anyone else who may visit) a little insight into my life. We're all doing life together in our church family, and as your pastor, I want you to know me. I want you to know what's happening in my life.

The life of a pastor is interesting. There are some great parts of my job. And there are some downright dangerous parts of my job. I've become more keenly aware of one of these danger points recently. As a pastor, it is very easy for my faith to become my job. It's easy to just become a professional Christian. My faith and my job are so intertwined that sometimes it becomes almost impossible to differentiate which is which. And this is a dangerous spot for me to be in.

Mark Driscoll said that ministry has to be the fourth priority of the pastor. Not the first, the second, or even the third. The order of priorities in a pastor's life looks like this:

1 – Jesus
2 – Husband
3 – Father
4 – Ministry

The problem is that priority #1 and priority #4 tend to go together so much that they become one and the same. As a pastor, it's easy to start believing that I get paid to pray. I start to read my Bible only when I'm prepping a sermon. The other books I read are all about the profession of pastoring. My faith becomes my job.

But wait a minute…what if the day comes when I'm not a pastor anymore? What happens then? What would happen if I got my paycheck from someplace other than a church? Would I even know how to be a Christian outside of vocational ministry?

I'm really wrestling with these issues in my life right now. The problem stems from the fact that I'm passionate about what I do. I'm passionate about ministry. I'm passionate about people coming to Jesus. I'm passionate about preaching God's Word. But in my passion for ministry, I cannot lose my passion for Jesus.

On a comforting note, I know that I'm not the first person to ever struggle with this. In fact, even the Apostle Paul had this struggle. In 1 Corinthians 9, he wrote:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, NIV, bold mine)

It is possible to get so focused on ministry, to be so passionate about preaching the gospel, that after the pastor has "preached to others," he himself will be "disqualified for the prize."

I don't want that to be me. I want to win the prize myself. The prize is not a bigger church. The prize is not preaching better sermons. The prize is eternal life. The prize is Jesus.

I want to be a faithful pastor, but I want to be a faithful Christ-follower first. I want to be faithful to my family before I am faithful to ministry. I want to pray because I'm hungry for God, not because it's what a pastor is supposed to do. I want to read the Bible because it is God's love letter to me, not because I have to preach on Sunday.

I want to win the prize…not just earn a paycheck.

Busyness

Got this from Todd Rhoades over at Monday Morning Insight.

According to a new study, 65% of pastors—about two out of every three pastors—say that their busyness gets in the way of their life with God. It’s tragic. And ironic. The very people who could best help us escape the bondage of busyness are themselves in chains…

Wise Counsel

I've had some recurring back trouble recently. I've got three discs that have been out of place for a few weeks. Because of this back pain, I had to bow out of the softball game early at our church picnic yesterday. That really annoyed me. I've always loved softball.

Yesterday I fouled off the first pitch I saw in the game and I should have stopped right there because of the pain in my back. Being the gamer that I am (stop laughing, please), I tried to suck it up. I took two more terrible swings, completely missing the next two pitches. Actually, with the pain in my back, it would have been miraculous if I would have hit the ball. I could barely move the bat! That's when I knew that it was time to hang it up.

Here's the stupid part…I knew I shouldn't be playing. My chiropractor warned me to take it easy. Some of the guys in the softball game asked me if I should really be playing. My wife strongly questioned the wisdom of playing. And I ignored them all because of what I wanted to do. I wanted to play softball. And it turned out terrible. I played terribly. I hurt my back, which isn't feeling too good this morning. All because I did what I wanted to do instead of listening to the wise counsel of others.

The Bible is clear about what this is called. It's called foolishness.

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel. (Proverbs 12:15, NASB)

The defining characteristic of a wise person is not that they know everything. The mark of wisdom is knowing how much you don't know. A willingness to heed advice from wise people makes you wise. This means that humility and wisdom are inextricably linked. You can't have one without the other. Without humility, you'll never seek the counsel of others. If you never seek wise counsel, you'll never be wise.

And you might just hurt your back in the process.

Great Day

What a day at ACC! We shifted to later start times in our two morning services. It was a smashing success! Our first service crowd had been really small, so we moved everything to a later times to bolster the first service attendance. Today, our first service attendance was actually bigger than our second service! While I don't think that will be the case over the long haul, I do think that our services will balance out a lot better, which is critical to our continued growth. We were just flat out of places to put people!

And then we moved on to our annual church picnic. Great attendance, great food, great time. There are multiple reasons why I love things like church picnics. I blogged about some of those reasons after our picnic last year, and I think the post is worth repeating. Check it out.

All in all, just a great day!

New Times

Don't forget that our new worship times begin tomorrow. The new ACC schedule is:

9:00 am – First Service
10:10 am – Bible Classes
11:00 am – Second Service

Also, tomorrow is our annual church picnic. Good friends, good fun, good food…oh yeah!

Nathan Willison

Spent a little time tonight hanging out with my buddy, Nate. Nate was a little rude, though. He slept through the entire visit. I guess I can forgive that since he's only a day and a half old.

Nicki, Ryan, and I had a great visit at the hospital with Jenny Willison and her brand new little boy. For those who don't know, Jim Willison (Jenny's hubby and Nate's daddy) is currently serving our country in Iraq. Seeing Jenny and Nathan was a bittersweet moment. So cool to see mom and baby. So sad that dad can't have that same pleasure. We are doing what we can to remedy that situation. We've posted some videos of Jenny and Nate on our website that are just for Jim. [No, I'm not telling you where to find the videos. What part of "just for Jim" don't you understand? :o) ] A big thanks to our webmaster, Josh Young, for posting these videos for Jim.

Jim, you've got a beautiful wife and a beautiful new baby boy. Can't wait until you get to see them in person.

Dave Ramsey

Listen up ACC! Got some big news for you.

Dave Ramsey is coming to Cincinnati for a live event on Thursday, September 13 at 6:30 pm. We've got discounted tickets available for you. You can take in the Ramsey experience for just $21 per ticket. That's 40% off the regular price.

Dave Ramsey's mission is simple. Help people out of their prison of debt. Empower them to build wealth. Help heal the divisions that money has caused in marriages. Teach people biblical principles on saving, spending, and giving. If you're ready for a Total Money Makeover, you just can't miss this event.

You can sign up for your tickets this Sunday or you can email me with the number of tickets you'd like. Please make your checks payable to the Amelia Church of Christ.

Ultrasound

For those who are unaware, Nicki and I are expecting another baby. The due date is mid-December. We had our first ultrasound yesterday and we found out that we are having another boy.

Sometimes I have a hard time seeing things on an ultrasound, but this was a no-doubter. Let's just say that my boy is not all that modest. Everything was displayed so obviously that even I could see it.

Can I just say that I'm a little relieved? I would have loved a little girl, but I feel woefully under qualified to raise a girl! My understanding of women is…um…limited. The thought of raising one scares the stuffing out of me. I guess God just knows what we can handle and what we can't!

The most important thing is that our baby looks perfectly healthy. Everything on the ultrasound checked out great.

I don't know why God is so good to me, but I'm very grateful!

Vacation Thoughts

My vacation is officially in the rear view and I've got a lot to post here on the blog. I won't have time to write it all up at once, so stay tuned.

First of all, just a few random thoughts from our trip to Virginia.

1. Why does the worst weather always hit on the worst part of a long drive? We drove through a monsoon on the West Virginia Turnpike, which is a horrible stretch of interstate. And to top it off, it's a toll road! You have to pay for the privilege of driving on this stupid highway! Toll roads should be illegal.

2. It's great to visit with my family. Definitely wish we could see them more.

3. It stinks when your kid is sick on vacation. We had Ryan in Urgent Care while we were on our trip because of a possible strep infection. He felt a little better at the end of the trip, but still not great.

4. The Wiggles concert was a ton of fun! Even though Ryan wasn't feeling entirely up to speed, he still had a great time. I've got another post about this concert cooking, so check back later.

5. It was a little warm in Virginia. The temp reached 104 degrees one day.

6. Night fishing is fun. My brother and I, along with my niece and nephew, went fishing at dark one evening and stayed out until 2:00 am. Caught a few small catfish. Nothing spectacular, but it was still fun. We fished on the Rappahannock River. In fact, we were directly across the river from Ferry Farm, which is George Washington's boyhood home. We were fishing precisely where, as legend has it, George Washington threw a silver dollar across the river.

7. Whoever invented the portable DVD player is a genius. We borrowed one from some friends at church and it was a lifesaver. Ryan took the 10 hour drive because he got to watch his very favorite show: Looney Tunes.

Ok, time to get to work. More later…